Property professionals will focus on the issues of diversity and inclusion within the sector at an event in Edinburgh tomorrow.

Led by the Scottish and British Property Federation (BPF) - along with the Association of Women in Property , Freehold and Revo - the forum will focus on inspiring best practice in the workplace. The aim is to create a collective force for progress, with panel discussions on how to build inclusive spaces, and how to create a more diverse industry.

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Chairing the event will be Brenda Jones, developments manager for Stornoway Port Authority, which is currently delivering its 2017 master plan . Jones has more than 20 years' experience in managing construction projects throughout Scotland, and is the outgoing national chairman of the Association of Women in Property.

"The real estate sector is vital to our economy and for any economy to thrive it must embrace the economic, social and business benefits of genuinely diverse organisations and places," she said.

"I believe we can do that. As an industry, we can influence how places are designed, how they work for the people who live and work there - and we can start to do that by ensuring that our own organisations are attracting the best talent and creative thinking the industry needs."

The event will take place at the Edinburgh offices of the Scottish Property Federation (SPF). David Melhuish, director of the SPF, said the forum aims to build on similar events run by the BPF in London and Manchester.

"As an industry we have a pivotal role in inclusive place-making and appealing effectively to the changing communities in which we live and work," he added.